With reverence and deep spiritual devotion, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated on Monday, 29 June, at the feast of the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, situated within the historic Greek Orthodox Cemetery of Şişli, where generations of the Greek Orthodox faithful of Constantinople have been laid to rest.
The Divine Liturgy was presided over by His Grace Bishop Benjamin of Tralee, assisted by clergy of the Stavrodromi Community. Representing His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew from the patriarchal parathrone was Archimandrite Fr Gedeon, while His Eminence Metropolitan Andreas of Saranta Ekklisies, Hierarchical Head of the Stavrodromi Community, offered prayers from within the Holy Sanctuary.
The church and the Şişli Cemetery constitute precious monuments of the history of the Greek Orthodox Community. The cemetery was established in 1859, while the monumental church that dominates the site was erected at the end of the nineteenth century through the generosity of the Skylitsis family. It is regarded as one of the most significant ecclesiastical and architectural monuments of the Romioi of Constantinople.
The Stavrodromi Community prays that the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul may intercede on behalf of all and that “the memory of our departed brethren may remain eternal and blessed.”
